Former Syracuse basketball player Arinze Onuaku donates supplies to Maryland school

Updated September 9, 2018 at 10:31 AM;Posted September 7, 2018 at 7:01 AM

Former Syracuse basketball player Arinze Onuaku recently donated 200 kits of school supplies to a middle school in Maryland where a childhood friend is now an administrator.
(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)

Morgan and Onuaku have been friends since meeting each other while playing youth basketball.

Morgan lived in Largo, Maryland, while Onuaku lived about five miles away in Lanham. They met in local gyms and played AAU ball together. Although they attended different high schools and different colleges, they remained close.

Onuaku, a burly 6-9 center, played at Syracuse University from 2005 to 2010. He's had stints in the NBA and continues to play professionally overseas.

Morgan, a 6-3 guard, played at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., from 2008 to 2011. After playing pro ball in Germany for two years, Morgan moved back home and became an educator.

This past weekend, Onuaku was a groomsman in Morgan's wedding.

"When we were getting his tux,'' Morgan said, "he said 'I don't think they'll have one to fit me.''

Former Syracuse basketball player Arinze Onuaku was a groomsman in his friend Kwame Morgan's wedding last weekend.Submitted photo

Over the past few years, Onuaku needed a gym where he could work out when he returned home.

"It's hard to find an open gym,'' Morgan said. "I said you can use our gym. He's used our gym the last three years.''

In return, Onuaku has looked for opportunities to help out the students at Drew Freeman. That's how he came up with the idea to donate basketballs last year and then follow that up with this year's donation of the school supplies.

And he's done it all without any fanfare.

"He's really quiet. He's really low-key,'' Morgan said. "I wanted him to come up to the school so we could recognize him because I think what he's done is tremendous.''

Onuaku declined.

"He does it out of the goodness of his heart,'' Morgan said. "He does whatever the community needs. He's just an amazing guy.''